Commentary on the Confluence of War, Technology, and Culture

Back from SHOT Show 2009!

As soon as I arrived at SHOT Show 2009 in Orlando, Florida, it was obvious the trip would exceed my expectations. For those of you who have not seen the Orange County Convention Center, the glass, stone, and steel complex looks like matte paintings from Star Trek and the surrounding area looks like an armored column from Epcot had annexed it. The architecture is contrived in all the same ways—chain restaurants en masse, huge hotels, and this surreal building that had been constructed to look as it some force had yanked it out of the ground and set it back down on its roof in tact.

I, too, felt upended. I had not anticipated the scale and scope of the spectacle. When I passed the massive complex that housed SHOT, a huge banner hung from the front entrance advertising Benelli’s latest shotgun. It styled as a poster for an imaginary action film, which featured the male hero running with a hard-shell gun case and a buxom Bond girl wannabe one step behind him. If there was any doubt that SHOT Show would give me ample material, it was now gone.

This was my first five minutes of SHOT Show 2009. It has been a while since I last posted, but it will be worth the wait. In every possible way, the experience exceeded my expectations. Over the course of the week, I spoke with several defense industry insiders, studied the latest small arms systems, and gained insight into the small arms trade. I have several stories in the works, which offer my own take on the four-day conference and related events. I am looking forward to sharing them here as soon as I can.

“If by chance you were to ask me which ornaments I would desire above all others in my house, I would reply, without much pause for reflection, arms and books.”
—Fra Sabba da Castiglione, Knight of St. John